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AEP and Duke can be sued under state antitrust laws, Supreme Court rules

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a decision that natural gas traders including American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy “can be sued under state antitrust laws for illegally manipulating natural gas prices more than a decade ago during California’s energy crisis,”The Columbus Dispatch reports. The Court upheld the decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversing an earlier decision by a federal district court; that district court ruled in favor of the natural gas traders who claimed “federal law precludes state law claims.” According to the article, “[n]atural gas customers allege the companies falsely reported data to industry trade publications, leading to higher gas prices.” The Supreme Court justices ruled 7-2 against AEP, Duke Energy and other suppliers, saying “the state claims at issue are directed at retail pricing within the province of states and not pre-empted by federal law.” For more, read the full article.

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